Italy has scored a major international success at RoboCup 2026, the world championship for educational robotics held from June 30 to July 6 at Songdo Convensia in Incheon, South Korea, near Seoul. Two Sicilian schools reached the podium, confirming the strength of Italy’s growing robotics education network.
The Liceo Scientifico “Boggio Lera” of Catania won first place in the OnStage Advanced category, where teams combine robotics, programming, performance, storytelling, and stage design. The Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale “Fermi – Guttuso” of Giarre, also in the province of Catania, took third place in Rescue Simulation, a category focused on using robotic logic and autonomous systems to respond to emergency scenarios.
The winning Boggio Lera team was made up of Emma Oddo, Simone Previti, Andrea Consalvo, and Giovanni Misenti, guided by teachers Carmelo Maccora and Massimo Marletta. Their project, titled Revenant and inspired by the Avengers universe, brought together 3D printing, electronic boards, cameras, programming, and artificial intelligence algorithms. The result was not just a technical prototype, but a complete robotic performance designed to communicate with an audience.
RoboCup is widely considered one of the most important robotics and AI competitions in the world. Founded in 1997, it was created to advance autonomous robotics through international competition and research. Its long-term vision is famously ambitious – developing a robot soccer team capable of defeating the human World Cup champions by 2050. Today, the event includes several leagues and RoboCupJunior, bringing together students, researchers, and technology leaders from many countries.
Italy’s double podium is especially meaningful because it came from schools, not only universities or research laboratories. It shows how classrooms can become places where science, creativity, engineering, and teamwork meet. Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara praised the students and invited them, together with their teachers, to the ministry.
For Italy, this result is more than a medal count. It is proof that young Italian talent can compete globally in robotics, AI, and the technologies shaping the future.
